Bring me to life
by Darkseasons
Summary: A lost princess. A forgotten heritage. Nuada abducts a young woman in order to regain his sister and destroy the humans forever.   Short story loosely based on Hellboy II, but with a big twist and lots more Nuada in it than in the film.
1. A Lost Princess

Well here we go... I've not submitted anything for nearly three years, but I've been writing this story, mostly just for myself, so I thought I'd share it and see if anyone likes it. I've done my best regarding spelling, grammar etc, but I'm dyslexic and the computer and my brain only picks up so much. I know I could ask a beta reader to help, but I really want to get better and I don't want to have to rely on someone else. If you spot a mistake, let me know and I'll do my best to not make the same mistake again.

I promise Nuada will come into the story very soon, I'm just setting the scene at the moment.

Any feedback will be gladly received.

**The lost princess**

The first section is a transcript of the first part of the HellBoy II film. I take absolutely no credit for them – I've purely added them here to begin my story.

* * *

Douglas Army Base, N.M. Christmas Eve 1955

It is said that at the dawn of time, man, beast, and all magical beings lived together under Aiglin, the father tree. But man had been created with a hole in his heart, a hole that no possession, power, or knowledge could fill and in his infinite greed man dreamt of expanding his dominion over the entire earth.

Blood of many an elf, ogre, and goblin was spilled in their war with man and King Balor, the one armed king of elf land, watched the slaughter in dread and despair. But one day, the master of the goblin blacksmiths offered to build the king a golden mechanical army, seventy time seventy soldiers that would never know hunger and could not be stopped.

Prince Nuada begged his father to agree.

"Build me this army" the king said.

So a magical crown was forged that would allow those of royal blood to command the golden army if unchallenged.

"I am king Balor. Leader of the golden army. Is there anyone who disputes my right?" and in his throne room no one challenged his word.

So the world was changed and the next time the humans marched they felt the earth tremble beneath their feet and saw the sky darken with monstrous shapes. The golden army had no remorse, felt no loyalty or pain, and King Balor's heart grew heavy with regret. So he called a truce and divided the crown in three pieces, one for the humans and two for himself.

In exchange, man would keep to the cities and the magical beings would own the forests. This truce would be honoured by their sons and the sons of the sons until the end of time, but prince Nuada did not believe in promises of man and it is said he went into exile vowing to return the day his people needed him most. So the golden army lay dormant, locked inside the earth, waiting and there it is to this day, awaiting the day the crown is made whole again, silent , still, and indestructible.

* * *

**Douglas Army Base, N.M. Christmas Day 1955**

Hellboy lay tucked up in bed, his belly over full of eggnog and the brandy drenched Christmas cake the soldiers had made. (Father had stopped him eating it when a young soldier, his mouth crammed with cake, passed out right at Hellboy's feet.)

On the bookcase by his bed Hellboy had carefully laid the presents Santa had brought him in, and on top of, the stocking he'd carefully hung up with Father. He'd ripped of the wrapping paper in a hurry that very morning, struggling to release the toys he knew were inside. Sellotape wasn't easy to negotiate when one of your hands was made from stone and you really didn't want to damage the contents.

There'd been a rolled up comic, the cover slightly ripped in his haste to get into it, an orange, a brilliant leather cow boy hat, and best of all a very nearly real cow boy pistol. The pistol even had caps with it (used up within the first half an hour once he'd managed to get the hang of loading the fiddly things). The pistol was made from metal, painted red, with an expertly executed flame decorating each side of the barrel. The caps made it sound and almost smell like the real guns he saw the soldiers carrying around the camp.

Later that day, after Christmas lunch, Father had given him, wrapped in shiny gold paper, an amazing fossil. It was tucked under his pillow so he knew it was safe. He should have been happy, but the wind was howling around the army shack, stopping him sleeping, and worse, much worse, Father was still angry with him.

The soldiers on the base seemed to fall into three categories to Hellboy's young eyes. There were those that just pretended he didn't exist (Hellboy could cope with them), there were those that liked to stick out a foot to trip over the 'freak', and then there were those that actually seemed to like him. The latter even occasionally brought him a comic or two from their visits home and these he had come to call friends.

It was two of his friends who were on patrol earlier, whilst Hellboy was running around the base pretending to be a cowboy, his brand new cowboy hat on and his toy gun in his hand. He had come up behind them planning to surprise them when he had spied a gun in one of their hoisters. He just wanted to know what it felt like to hold a real gun, how heavy it was, whether the barrel was as smooth as it looked. Almost without thinking his tail snaked around his hips and hooked it out of the hoister and deposited it into Hellboy's greedy outreached hand. It was cold; it felt sturdy in his grasp, strong, powerful.

"Son, where did you...?"

Father came round the building, his eyes somehow taking one look and instantly calculating exactly what Hellboy was up to as only Father could.

Father's face was rigid with anger; he approached slowly, deliberately, "Put that thing down, now, carefully."

Christmas had ended after that. There were many questions and the camp sergeant barked angry words at Father about the 'monstrosity' and how if Father couldn't control it, it was going to have to be locked the cells.

Hellboy tried to snuggle a little further under his soft blankets whilst warm tears silently ran down his face.

Professor Broom was just putting everything away for the night when he spied Hellboy in his bed, through the open door, still wide awake. Shaking his head and picking up the same book as last night he walked over to the bed and pretended not to notice Hellboy drying his eyes with his blanket. He sat down and opened the book again whilst handing a clean hanky to Hellboy.

"Now," said Professor Broom. "I thought you might like to hear a little more of King Balor and his golden army for there is another legend from that time about Prince Nuada's sister, the lost princess, Princess Nuala."

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In case you haven't guessed Professor Broom's story will be in my next chapter. It's already written so if you want to read it please leave me some feedback.

Thanks


	2. Bedtime Stories

Thanks for the reviews Lady Krystalyn and Danielle. Danielle, you were right, I hadn't realised quite how much of what I posted was just the transcript from the film! You'll be pleased to know that this chapter is all new.

* * *

"Now," said Professor Broom. "I thought you might like to hear a little more of King Balor and his golden army for there is another legend from that time about Prince Nuada's sister, the lost princess, Princess Nuala.

Some years after Nuada went into exile; there were whispers of his return spoken in the darkest corners of the magical forests. Perhaps they were started as mere rumours by those that sided with the prince; or perhaps the prince was considering his return, but still they struck fear into the Princess Nuala's heart.

Nuada and Nuala were King Balor's only children, their mother died immediately after their bloody and difficult birth. King Balor's first sight of them had been in the arms of the blood-stained healer. Both so perfect, so small, and both already reaching out of their blankets to grip each other's hands.

If one fell, they both cried in pain, and would both have identical bruises. As they grew, King Balor learnt that the two children could sense each other. They could find each other within the castle in seconds as if they were constantly aware of where the other sibling was. If Nuala tried to hide a syrup bud from her brother he would stare in her eyes, or run his fingers lightly through her hair, and immediately go to her hiding place.

When Nuada grew old enough to start to learn weaponry, he had to leave the palace for Nuala's sake. Distance lessened the effect of the link between them. Although Nuala still felt some pain when Nuada was injured training, it did not physically hurt her when they were apart.

When the war with the humans began, Nuala followed her brother and father to the battlefields. She walked through the masses of pale twisted bodies littering the earth; Elf, Ogre, Human, and Goblin alike, their faces all frozen at the point of their demise. A few looked at peace, but others' expressions were monstrously contorted in pain, anger and fear.

She was there when her father ordered the Golden Army to attack the humans and she saw the unnatural slaughter. The great golden warriors did not stop their massacre until every human that had come to the battle was destroyed. It mattered not if the human begged for mercy, or even if they were a child trying to shake a loved parent awake from an eternal sleep the child could not understand. All humans died by their golden blades and the blood pooled and stained the ground beneath them.

After the battle with the humans, Nuala believed (as did her father), that scenes of such depravity should never happen again. And so they both carried one of the crown pieces with them at all times. Nuala's crown piece always served to remind her of the fields of death and why she must never let her brother find it and once more re-awaken the Golden Army.

When the rumours of Prince Nuada's return began, Nuala disappeared from the royal court one winter's night. Where she went was never known, but when she returned weeks later she no longer carried the crown piece and explained that she had hidden it far away where none but herself could ever find it unless her brother sensed her hiding place from her.

Nuala fell to the king's feet and begged that he might forgive what she must ask him now for she had come to say goodbye and to beg him to take her life so that the crown piece would be lost for all time.

King Balor's face fell and he knelt before his daughter before placing his hand beneath her chin and raising her eyes to meet his.

"My daughter; that is the one request I could never grant you."

Yet King Balor knew that if he did not help her she would take her own life. Taking her in his arms he spoke to her. "Nuala, if you are truly set on this path I fear there is another way to keep your secret safe, but understand you would leave this life forever. All your memories will be locked away along with your magical powers, safe even from your brother. No magical being will know you or what and who you are. You will be lost to me for all time. Nuala, what I speak of, to do this, you would have to become a human and be hidden in their world."

Nuala and the king left the royal court that very night. Of their destination nothing is known, but in time the king returned alone and with a heavy heart, his face drawn in loss, pain, and regret.

So it came to be that Princess Nuala, daughter of King Balor, second in line to the royal throne of Bethmora, was cast away to meet her fate alone in the human world. Lost for all time."

Professor Broom gently pulled up the blankets on Hellboy's bed and tucked them around his son's shoulders before closing the book, kissing him on the forehead and turning off the lights.

"Father?"

"Yes son?"

"Will I have to be locked away? I mean, the princess sent herself away to keep the human's safe. Do you, do you think I'm dangerous? "

Professor Broom shook his head and absentmindedly picked up one of Hellboy's discarded comics before sitting back on Hellboy's bed. "These superhero's you love reading about so much, do you think..." Professor Broom glanced at the cover and read the title, "That Superman wouldn't be dangerous if he didn't choose to help people instead of hurt them? Anyone that's very strong could be dangerous. It's the choices they make that decide whether they are a hero or a villain, not what they are."

Professor Broom glanced around Hellboy's bedroom. Despite his best efforts to turn it into a child's room it was still clearly army barracks. He could hear the corrugated metal rattling in the storm and the steady tread of the patrolling soldiers outside on the gravel.

"I fear this no place to raise a child. You're going to have to make decisions here that a child should not have to make. It's only natural to be curious about the things you see around you and I hope, when you grow older," Professor broom bent down and tickled Hellboy until he was giggling "I hope you will not find guns so exciting!"

* * *

**Present Day**

"And you chose to live in their world my sister." Nuada said to himself, shaking his head and grimacing at the fetid stench of humans in the frosty winter's night air. Yet another filthy sprawling city lay below him. It reached further into the distance than even he could see.

He was crouched, high above the streets, on the corner of one of the human's tall buildings, watching the stupid, arrogant creatures moving around their narrow world. It was like watching rats or some other swarming creatures shift around in a nest. Teeming, crawling, and scuttling between their houses and work, so unaware of the world they plagued, so enclosed within their petty human concerns, never dreaming something as he could exist, waiting in the dark to return.

Prince Nuada sighed before rolling his shoulders to release some of the tension. He leaned forward in his crouch until his upper body leant over the side of the building and he felt the breeze coming from below. Even the knuckles of the hand he leant on hurt him. The unnatural chemicals the humans had used to make the concrete made his skin feel as if it was burning.

"You cannot be here my sister. How could one as pure as you survive such a place?"


End file.
